1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of ordnance and, more particularly, to a ballistic projectile having a soft-recovery system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During ballistic tests, it is often desired to recover fired projectiles or projectile components after they have been exposed to the temperatures, pressures and accelerations of a gun-launch environment. To be effective, the recovery process should not inflict any damage on the projectile which would mask the effects of the gun-launch environment. Typical components which often require recovery are rocket motors, fin assemblies and electronic components.
Currently, no acceptable method or apparatus is available to recover, undamaged, a component or components on the aft end of a statically stabilized projectile after being exposed to a gun-launch environment. In some prior art recovery methods, it is the general practice to fire projectiles into a soft medium such as sand. This method is not completely satisfactory because it does not ensure that the projectile will not sustain damage during impact with the soft medium. After recovery of such projectiles, it can be difficult to discern whether certain damage was due to being exposed to the gun-launch environment or due to the impact.
Another prior art recovery system uses a rearward deployed parachute recovery system. This configuration is unsatisfactory in situations where the component to be recovered is on the aft end of the projectile, i.e. that portion of the projectile behind the gas seal. If the components on the aft portion of the projectile are to be recovered, it is usually impossible to make alterations to the aft portion to accommodate the recovery hardware, i.e. the parachute recovery system. In such cases, the only available volume for locating the recovery hardware is at the forward end of the projectile (that portion in front of the gas seal). Design of a successful soft-recovery system for such a projectile is difficult because a parachute or other decelerator can not operate reliably when deployed into the flight path.
Although there has been a long recognized need for simple soft-recovery systems and methods for use in recovering components on the aft end of a projectile, no practical system or method has yet been devised. The present invention fulfills this need.